Heterogeneous impacts of mobility restrictions on air quality in the State of Sao Paulo during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Autores da FMUP

• Rui Manuel Lopes Nunes

  Autor

Participantes de fora da FMUP

• Cirqueira SSR
• Rodrigues PF
• Branco P
• Vormittag E
• Anastacio AVB
• Veras M
• Sousa S
• Saldiva PHN

Unidades de investigação

• Laboratório Associado RISE- Rede de Investigação em Saúde

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

• Medicina da Comunidade, Informação e Decisão em Saúde

• RISE-Health

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

Abstract

Air quality in the State of Sao Paulo was evaluated during the first general State plan of mobility restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic (24th March to May 31, 2020). Nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)), ozone (O(3)), particulate matter PM(10) and PM(2.5) and sulphur dioxide (SO(2)) concentrations were assessed in cities of the Sao Paulo State with a monitoring station and compared to historical data. Linear regression models were built to investigate the relationship between the isolation of the population - determined using mobile phone monitoring data - and the concentration of each pollutant during the studied period. Although the reduction of pollutants such as NO(2), SO(2) and PM(2.5) is very clear, the economic and climatic characteristics of each region were decisive in the general behaviour of O(3) and PM(10). It was not possible to establish a correlation between the pollutants and the isolation index, partly due to the lack of data, partly due to the compliance of the population to those measurements, which was variable over time. Another important limitation factor was the absence of data related to the pollutants of interest in many of the stations. However, the isolation measures carried out in the State opened the opportunity to individually assess the air quality measurements in each of the stations, enabling an understanding that will allow in the future the design of air quality policies together with local sanitary policies.

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Keywords

• Air pollution; Air quality; COVID-19; Mobility restrictions; Social isolation